Sandra Bullock: America's sweetheart at 50

By Lisa Respers France, CNN

Updated 3:39 AM ET, Sat July 26, 2014

Sandra Bullock: America's sweetheart24 photos

Sandra Bullock: America's sweetheart – We know you don't need another reason to love Sandra Bullock. The acclaimed actress has earned the title of "America's sweetheart" by being charming and self-deprecating; grounded, but also a talented Hollywood star. As she celebrates her 50th birthday on July 26, here's a look at the life and career of Sandy B.

Sandra Bullock: America's sweetheart – Mary Horowitz (Bullock) thinks she's in love with cable news cameraman Steve (Bradley Cooper) in the 2009 film "All About Steve." The film went on to be nominated for five Golden Raspberry Awards in 2010, with Bullock winning for "worst actress" -- ironically, the same year she won the best actress Oscar for "The Blind Side."

Sandra Bullock: America's sweetheart – Bullock and her son, Louis, are spotted on the streets of Manhattan in 2011.

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Sandra Bullock: America's sweetheart24 photos

Sandra Bullock: America's sweetheart – Melissa McCarthy and Bullock bring the funny as law enforcement partners in 2013's "The Heat."

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Sandra Bullock: America's sweetheart24 photos

Sandra Bullock: America's sweetheart – Bullock is set adrift in space in the 2013 thriller "Gravity" which earned her several accolades including a best actress Oscar nomination.

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Story highlights

Sandra Bullock turns 50 on July 26

She continues to be beloved

The actress has said she would give it all up for her son

If there were ever a contest for "America's sweetheart," Sandra Bullock would be tough to beat.

The daughter of an Army employee and a German vocal coach, Bullock has continually struck a chord with fans over her nearly 30-year career. At turns charming and relatable, she comes across as extremely genuine in a field that makes its magic through pretending.

As the actress celebrates her 50th birthday on July 26, her stock as the long-standing favorite is as solid as ever.

Sexy celebs in their 50s – "Weird Al" Yankovic may not be your typical definition of "sexy," but don't tell his massive fan base that. The prince of parody songs turns 55 on Thursday, October 23. Here are more famous faces who are making the fifth decade of life look good.

Sexy celebs in their 50s – Not much investigation is needed to figure out that "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" star Vincent D'Onofrio is making his 50s look good. The actor turned 55 on June 30.

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Photos: Sexy celebs in their 50s36 photos

Sexy celebs in their 50s – Model Elle Macpherson celebrated her 50th birthday on March 29, and she still looks exactly like the fresh-faced, leggy Australian beauty we came to know in the '80s.

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Sexy celebs in their 50s – Dare we say, Ian Ziering is more popular (and hotter) at 50 than when he was playing Steve Sanders on "Beverly Hills, 90210." The actor, who celebrated his birthday on March 30, has found a second life after that soapy '90s drama with a stint working for Chippendales.

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Photos: Sexy celebs in their 50s36 photos

Sexy celebs in their 50s – Rob Lowe turned 50 on March 17, and he doesn't look much different than he did from his Brat Pack days in the 1980s.

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Photos: Sexy celebs in their 50s36 photos

Sexy celebs in their 50s – You wouldn't know it by looking at Sharon Stone, but the 56-year-old has struggled with accepting her looks as she ages.

Sexy celebs in their 50s – At 59, Kevin Costner is still booking leading man roles.

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EXPAND GALLERY

And in her personal life, Bullock has managed to remain pretty scandal-proof. At the height of a devastating marital breakup from Jesse James in 2010, when lurid tabloid headlines appeared about his alleged affairs, Bullock shocked the world with news that she had secretly adopted an African-American son from New Orleans.

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Not only was it surprising that the Oscar-winning actress had such a tight circle that she was able to conceal a monumental personal moment, but unlike some other celebs who had been criticized in the black community for transracial adoptions, Bullock and her decision were mostly embraced.

Even other celebrities adore her. "Avengers" star Chris Evans has been quoted as saying Bullock was his first celebrity crush.

"I saw 'Speed' when I was in seventh grade, and I was like, that's my lady," Evans said. "I literally had a big poster (of her)."

It's easy to see why a preteen Evans fell for Bullock. In interviews Bullock can be funny, self-deprecating and just downright cool. During an appearance on "The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson" to promote her 2013 buddy cop comedy, "The Heat," she and the host good-naturedly took verbal swipes at each other. When Ferguson mentioned the film "Dumb and Dumber" (in an apparent reference to the way their interview was going), Bullock volleyed back about that movie.

"Poop humor is fun," she said jokingly. "If you do the toilet scenes well and commit to them they can be really, really powerful."

Not many Academy Award winners would tackle such a subject, but it's not surprising from Bullock, who proudly told Us Weekly that her now-3-year-old son, Louis, is fully potty-trained. While the actress has almost always been tagged as more girl next door than vixen, motherhood has clearly helped settle her even more.

She's been very outspoken about the fact that she would give it all up, the career and the fame, if it wasn't good for her son in any way.

"I don't want him to have pressures brought on by what I do. I will quit. I will leave," she told Vogue last year. "If I see whatever I'm doing affecting him negatively, I will pack up and move to Alaska."

That probably helps explain why the self-professed homebody would much rather be spending time with her kid than working the press. Eschewing the Hollywood scene, the "Blind Side" star has made paparazzi literally chase her outside the usual city limits, choosing to build her life in cities like Austin, Texas, and New Orleans.

Being on the red carpet, she told CNN at a 2013 premiere of "Gravity," is extreme enough for her.

"Being in front of a camera, in a nice dress, getting all dressed up is extreme," Bullock said. "There's a lot of other extreme situations, you know, just getting out of bed sometimes is extreme -- but I do it. Just got to do it, just got to get up. Put your sweatpants on, brush off the dog hair and just get out of the house!"

Part of what Bullock does when she gets "out of the house" is give back to the city of New Orleans. After the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, Bullock "adopted" Warren Easton Charter High School, and has given hundreds of thousands of dollars to the institution.

"They're infections, they inspire me," Bullock said of the students. "They make me get off my butt and try to do better. ... I've been taking and taking from (the city of New Orleans), and when everything happened with Katrina, that's when you realize you have to put back."